Kallan 7 Months

A little belated, but here's a 7 month update on our bebé.

Sleep: Kallan gets up once a night, at about 3 a.m. She recently cut her first tooth though, so she was up a lot for a couple of nights. We are happy to be sleeping better again!

Milestones: Kallan can now roll from front to back, so she is rolling all around the living room! Whenever she rolls, Lyla likes to lay down and roll around by her, too. She can sit unassisted now for quite some time but still with cushions and supervision. We can just tell she is growing up by the way she reaches for everything and fusses when a toy gets dropped or nabbed by big sister. She will look all around for a dropped toy!

Feeding: Enjoying some solid foods, some homemade, some not. So far, peas are the favorite. And Kallan finally will take a bottle! Hurray!!!! Personally, I think alone time is good for a mommy's sanity. Now I can leave the house for more than an hour and not have to worry about a hungry baby at home. My in-laws even took the girls for a sleepover, which was amazing, and let Erik and I enjoy some much needed "us" time!

Ups: It's so much fun watching Kallan's little personality shine through. She is quite a happy little girl who can really scream when something's wrong. Her cry is the saddest cry in the world, and giant crocodile tears appear instantly! She is a big mama's girl and a little snuggler. She loves to study new faces. I love seeing her when someone new holds her. She stares at his or her face forever, and then will finally either smile or cry when she's apparently established her opinion about that person. She also loves textures! Whenever we sit in a new chair, she will ditch whatever toy she has to feel and then attempt to eat the chair. Her sister makes her smile SO big! I can really see the sisterly love lately! When I get a chance, I've been enjoying napping with Kallan. We don't bed share, but I can see why people do it. I love sleeping close to her!

Downs: Kallan's bedtime is kind of late. I'm not strict on her schedule, and I kind of let her establish her own general sleep times. But she has been going to bed around 10pm. This isn't a huge deal, except that by then I'm exhausted and go straight to bed when she is down. Hence, no cleaning is getting done, no web is being surfed, no books are being read. Just pure tiredness. I keep reminding myself that this is just a phase of life, and someday I'll be able to do all these things as much as I want, and I'll wish my babies were still babies snuggling me half the night! Another down is the glasses!! We can't keep the darn things on her face! I spend half my days picking them up and putting them on and trying to distract Kallan enough to leave them on. We exchanged them for more goggle-esque ones. They aren't here yet, but maybe it will help somewhat.

Likes: Red square, biting, being surprised, being tickled (she's SUPER ticklish, just like Mommy!), sleeping with Mommy in the big bed, kicking, things that aren't toys (phones, remotes, paper), rolling around, playing in the high chair and smacking her hands on the tray, talking and "singing", Gregory Alan Isakov (works like a charm to calm her down in the car! It's magic! I must have listened to him a lot when she was in my belly), pulling off and eating her glasses, looking out the window in the car.

Also.... white noise!! My sister-in-law lent me a little stuffed giraffe that plays white noise. I've only had it a couple of days, but already it seems to have helped our no-nap situation. We've been calling Kallan "The Sleepless Wonder."

Dislikes: When we go out of her sight and she thinks she's alone, when her sister smacks her in the head with a toy (understandable), too much floor time, the bouncy chair, when people sneeze or laugh really loud and suddenly.

On another note, we are really enjoying this beautiful weather... finally! I wish I could know what Kallan was thinking a lot of the time... like what does she think about playing outside for the first time? What does she think of the grass? I wonder what having glasses is like for her.. maybe she doesn't even like the new clarity of her world. Babies' minds... such a mystery!

I Can See Clearly Now...

.. that my glasses are on!

Yes, Kallan just got even cuter (previously thought to be impossible) and has her first pair of specs! At her 4 month appointment, our pediatrician told us that she has prominent "epicanthal folds" which give the illusion that her eyes are crossed even though they aren't. We decided to keep a close eye on them anyway and sometime later noticed that sometimes one of her eyes, usually the right, was definitely crossing. So at her 6 month appointment, we were referred to a pediatric ophthalmologist (officially my least favorite word to spell out). We spent two and a half hours there, doing a lot of waiting and a bit of napping by Kallan (and Erik).  Finally, we were told that Kallan has accommodative esotropia, eye crossing due to extreme farsightedness. She needs glasses and will likely be wearing them for the rest of her life. 

A lot of people have asked how they got her prescription. The doctor dilated her eyes, at which point Kallan took a nap. We had to rudely wake her up a short time later. I imagine it's hard to have your eyes examined while you're sleeping. Fortunately, she forgave us and was quite content throughout the examination. The doctor reflected light off the back of her eye through various lenses to find the appropriate prescription. Pretty crazy! We had no idea that we would be getting glasses for our baby when we went in.

Getting fitted ..

Not happy - either about the glasses, the strange man touching her face, or the sudden clarity of her new world... probably a combination of the three

First time in her glasses!

She has had her glasses for about a week now. At first she seemed to love them, and she just gazed at everything. I'm sure her world completely changed. But if you have or have had children, I'm sure you know that babies LOVE to grab and chomp on glasses. Kallan has recently realized that she has her very own chew toy, sitting right on her face. The glasses hook behind her ears, but she manages to yank them off. She'll chew them and look at me with a big mischievous grin and laugh. Oh, cute little stinker! 

Lyla Quotes

Lyla, oh Lyla, you are just the best. Here are a couple of things you've said lately that are cute/hilarious/funny or just make you seem way too grown up.

"Oh Kallan, you're my big girl. I'm so proud of you."

"What a nuisance." Where did you get that one?!

"Sorry I yelled. I was just really mad at you." Aw!! Baby!

"It's fun to have a little sister!"

"I can't get that boat. But I can if I want to. HAHA! It's my job!" Huh?!?

"God lives waaaay up there! There's the ceiling. God lives in the ceiling!"

"Mommy, are you going to make it?" While I was attempting to exercise.

"Once upon a time, there was a princess named Lyla..." how you start pretty much every story you tell!

"Mommy, did you make another big mess?" When she came into the kitchen.

"YO do it Mommy!" "I want the one that's morado!!!!" Just a couple ejemplos of the Spanglish we've got going on here.

"WHAT?!" said in a super funny, high-pitched voice.

"La la la la.. ya ya!" How you say your name

"Kallan you're so squirmy!" Trying to hold Kallan's hand.

Us: I love YOU so much!
You: No I love YOU so much!
Us: No, I love YOU so much!
You: No, I love YOU so much!
etc.

"He just wants to be your friend." Referring to a spider I found in your room. Pretty sure he wanted to eat me, but let's agree to disagree.

I want to share this spider story as well.  I am really, really afraid of spiders. Yesterday I happened upon a decent sized one in the girls' room and managed to exit the room calmly and without screaming, but very fast. Lyla said, "Why did you come out here again?" And I told you nothing and set Kallan down. I attempted to kill the spider but couldn't find him afterwards and started freaking out imagining a vengeful spider coming after me. So in record speed, I packed the three of us up to go to Grandma & Grandpa's. You overheard me telling Grandma about the spider, and I told you that I just don't really like spiders that much, even though they are very nice. You said the above quote, and I said that I like spiders now. Not true. But then you wanted to hear stories about spiders in our home the WHOLE way to G&G's. My skin was crawling... ugh. Mom fail!

Kallan: 6 Months

A half year has gone by already! Time really flies the first time around.. but it is going insanely fast the second time. It's a bit scary.

Sleep: Unfortunately, Kallan just doesn't seem to like sleeping that much. Naps are a struggle and she is waking usually twice a night for some milkies/snuggles. 

Milestones: Kallan can sort of sit in a tripod position and will sometimes sit up unassisted for a few seconds. She loves to reach for toys and bring them closer to her. She will fuss if she drops a toy. She will occasionally look for a toy under a towel, but mostly she just ends up eating the towel. If she has a choice, she'll choose a cloth over a toy for some good munching. If you say her name, she will smile and look at you. She isn't quite ready to crawl yet, but she does turn herself around while she's on her tummy. She wants to move!

Feeding: We've occasionally started giving her some food recently. She seems to like it and wants to grab the spoon and feed herself. This usually results in a big mess, but I appreciate her enthusiasm. So far barley cereal is the least favorite. Everything else is kind of 'meh'. 

Ups: I've really enjoyed watching Kallan's little personality come out. She is a very loving and snuggly little girl. She laughs all the time and is super ticklish. I love watching her study new faces and places. It must be overwhelming to be a baby.. everything is new! The best is when she is on her tummy and laughing.. her whole body jiggles up and down, it's the cutest thing ever! Sometimes she will just be looking at me and then will put her hand on my face. I wish I could capture the feeling it gives me in words or pictures. So much love.

Downs: Not getting a full night sleep again. :( Oh well, it's not forever! Hopefully.. also she seems to be having a bit of a fussy period. A friend recently told me about the "Wonder Weeks." Someone has created a general schedule of fussy periods for babies, and one commonly occurs at about 26 weeks, which is where we're at now. This might be contributing to the night waking and nap resistance.

Likes: Her big sister, eating all the time, helping turn the pages of books, being carried in the wrap, eating books, eating cloth, eating her toes, studying hands and fingers, her red square, rolling onto her tummy, grabbing hair, crinkle toys, her exersaucer, talking, looking out the car window, snuggling, being loved on all the time

Dislikes: Loud noises, sometimes new faces, bottles, when we leave the room, cold weather... I'm pretty sure of this one, at least :), being around new people for too long

Sister Update: Lately, Lyla has been going up to Kallan and saying, "Hi Kallan, hi sweetie." "Aw Kallan, look at your little feet. You're so cute." And on her way home from a play day at Grandma and Grandpa's, Lyla said, "I really want my Kallan." Kallan is always flashing smiles at Lyla, and Lyla loves to say, "She smiled at me!!!" The sisterly love is mutual, and Lyla seems to notice that Kallan is getting more and more interactive. Lyla loves to try to make Kallan laugh, and if Kallan is crying she will run over and find her a toy or play her a song on the piano. "It's okay, Kallan, it's okay!" she'll say. Or, "It's okay, Kallan, Lyla's here."

I'm really looking forward to the next 6 months and seeing Kall

Funny Photo Sequence

Kallan: "Oooh fuzzy!"

Lyla: "I see you playing with that!"

Lyla: "Yep, I'll take it."

Kallan: "Uh wait.. what...."

Kallan: "Mom, seriously, did you see that?"

Lyla: "Nope, didn't do anything.. just hugging my cats."

Lyla: "Don't touch my stuff, Kallan!"

Kallan: "Hm, I need a plan. Ok, got it! Here's what I'll do..."

Kallan: "Look at me I'm so cute!!!!!"

Lyla: ignoring 

Kallan: "Really, you're not going to go for that?"

Lyla: still ignoring

Kallan's 6 month update will be coming soon!

Michigan Winter

Deer photo cred: Erik Bodine :)

Okay winter, you're pretty and all, but I think it's time to hit the road! Although Lyla enjoyed collecting rocks and throwing them in the water just as well as in the summer. 

Lyla 2.5

Oh what to say about our little girl. She is growing up to be such a caring and fun person, and we just love to see her personality shining through.

She is so imaginative and I love seeing the worlds she creates for us. Most of them involve Dora-related activities and stories. She has gotten to be a little imitator. It's kind of funny to hear her say things and know that you must say that a lot.. like, "Can you pick out a book? I'm nursing.." is one she has been saying a lot. "Mommy, can you come in here, it's really important!" "Be right back, I gotta do something real quick!"

The hardest thing has been giving up nap. If she naps, it takes her hours to fall asleep at bedtime. At first it was a really difficult transition for everyone. But now she has about an hour of 'quiet time' in her room to preserve Mommy's sanity, and we're all happy again. It's also great because she sleeps until about 8:30 every morning! So I really can't complain!

She has an occasional accident, but I would say she is potty trained now. We used to put her in diapers while we were out and about, and she would still let us know if she had to go, and we'd take her to the potty. To let us know, she says, "Oh, oh I'm peeing!!!"

Lyla loves to ask questions that she wants us to ask her. Like, "Do you want to watch TV Lyla?" And then we ask her, and she says, "Ok!" Like it was our idea all along. And then if you don't answer right away, she'll say, "Do you?? Do you?" It's pretty cute!

She is a great big sister. Whenever it's just us three, Lyla will say, "Just us girlies!" Whenever Kallan cries, she goes, "Oh, it's ok Kallan! And she'll run around looking for a toy for Kallan to play with or she'll play some songs on the piano for her. This always cheers Kallan up, at least for a second or two! Lyla likes to help out with diaper changes and has attempted to give her a bottle a couple of times. She says such cute things to her. Like.. "Oh, Kallan, you're getting big!" "I'm so proud of you!" "Aw, she smiled at me!" "Where's your tongue, Kallan?!" "Aw, you're hands are so little, Kallan!" etc, etc. 

Occasionally, I still get to enjoy a nap time :)